millennnials in DC – D.C. HOPEFULS

The Many Ways To Use Job Boards

Those familiar with D.C. Hopefuls know I preach a career absent of cover letters, awkward job fairs, and endless online applications. I believe a truly successful Washington, D.C. career is built through a deep and strong professional network NOT hiding behind a keyboard. With that said there are some strong reasons you should be using a job board.

Notice I said job board (singular). There is only one job board serious D.C. Hopefuls should be using, Brad Traverse Jobs. AFTER you sign up for Brad Traverse Jobs here are 4 simple steps you should take….

Step 1: Use It the old fashioned way….Apply to jobs.
Many of my readers are still in undergrad or just a few years out of school and while they are pounding the pavement trying to build as many connections as possible job boards can still play a role. Many of the best professional contacts come through those you work with and if you are looking for that first job you obviously lack those great contacts. I talk in great detail to my Career Investors members about how to manage your online application process but early in your career applying to jobs through Brad Traverse Jobs should be a part of your game plan as you attempt to cast a wide net and follow leads. Please remember online applications should always be secondary in time and priority to building professional contacts.

Step 2: Read it no matter your job situation…you need to know the neighborhood.
A key component of the steadfast spirit is knowing that information is power. Good friends of mine bought a beautiful condo last year. What I found odd for several months was despite having this beautiful home they spent a few hours every weekend going to open houses in their neighborhood. I naively thought they must not like their condo so I tried to be a good friend and tell them how they should be happy with their great condo. They laughed and explained to me they were happy and had no intentions of moving but it was important to know their neighborhood. They wanted to know which companies were doing rehabs, which home features builders were using, how quickly houses stayed on the market in their neighborhood, and what the overall market was doing.

Even when you are in a great job that you really enjoy I encourage you to be like my friends and understand your neighborhood/field.

Step 3: Use this knowledge to stay sane or be bold.
As you take a few minutes each week to read through Brad Traverse’s job listings you can notice trends. If you are an over achiever you can create an excel document to track various information. As you do this you will learn a lot. Maybe you don’t see any openings in your field or that pay better than you make now. Well that could mean you don’t go demand a raise from your boss and you shouldn’t be so frustrated with your current employer. It may help you keep your sanity and realize you have it better than you thought.

Maybe you see a plethora of jobs in your field you are qualified to get. This can be worth pursuing and something to discuss with your network. In 2015 I saw several jobs I thought I could get so eventually I applied to a couple. I ultimately got an offer and used that as leverage for a 12% raise from my employer at the time. Knowing the market pushed me to be bold. It was also a fantastic networking opportunity as I had several contacts coach me up to ask for the raise, getting them deeply invested in the outcome.

Step 4: Become a master networker.
As you are out building your professional network you should be the expert on your desired job market. The majority of your contacts will have no idea what the average salary, qualifications, and requirements are for the jobs you want and they likely won’t know if hiring is hot or cold. Remember we don’t ask contacts and career investors to be creative! We come to them with tangible questions so they can provide advice, therefore the more knowledgeable we are the better!

Remember all contacts or career investors are NOT created equal. I’ve had dozens of people in my career who I knew wanted to help but weren’t plugged in to making it happen…so I had to make it happen!

This is why you must pair your networking with job boards. If you connect with someone from XYZ and two weeks later see an opening there you can reach out to them and see if they can help. I have had people reach out to me asking about an opening at my company that I did not even know was open!

In conclusion before you can start any of these steps you must sign up for Brad Traverse Jobs. As you know building a career can become a full time job in itself. You simply can’t waste the time combing through hundreds of unrelated job postings that overwhelm other sites. Brad Traverse Jobs reputation speaks for itself. For twenty years they have earned the respect of employers and job seekers across Washington, D.C. I had the amazing opportunity to meet Brad and Fraser Traverse personally to learn their team reviews each job posting. This is the only job board I trust. So much so I actually pay for half of a year subscription to their services for all of my D.C. Hopefuls Fellowship members!

If you are serious about being successful in this town then CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW for Brad Traverse!

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No Syllabus in Real Life So Listen For Instructions

College is great but it can create bad habits. The real world is not going to hand you a syllabus and plan out your next 4 months. A very important skill you must develop is the ability to hear instructions that aren’t clearly labeled as instructions. Whether networking or chatting with your boss they will tell you what to do but it can be sandwiched in the middle of a thousand other things.

Say you are on the phone with a contact. She knows you are interested in Capitol Hill or advocacy work. She is telling you about how she worked on two campaigns after college. She then slides in “yeah in fact 3 of my 4 best friends from campaign life all work on capitol hill and have been really successful, they would probably be better for you talk to than me! Haha. So I would really say the things that stuck out to me after I stopped campaign life was…blah blah blah.”

You have to pounce on the fact she has 3 people she considers friends on Capitol Hill and even admitted they’d be good for you to talk with for help. In D.C. Boot Camp I teach D.C. Hopefuls Fellowship members how to take those sandwiched instructions and turn them into tangible results.

At work this can be an even more valuable skill because often these less than obvious instructions are important to the person. In the first example it probably isn’t personally important to the woman that you meet her friends but your boss is different.

Recently my wife and I looked at a condo. The realtor showed up to inform us he was only able to show us the first place despite the fact we asked to look at several. He didn’t pick up on our disappointment. Three or four times I mentioned as we talked I’d love to know what other places have sold for in the neighborhood and how much units charge in rent if they are used as rental units. It felt rude to say “listen these are the things I want you to go do for me” so instead I mentioned them in conversation several times. Three days later he sends me more expensive listings in a different neighborhood. I didn’t respond.

He was not picking up on what I wanted. If your boss casually mentions how several times how she gets yelled at by her supervisor when timesheets are late and you continually sign your timesheet late guess what she is going to start thinking about you? Right or wrong most managers don’t feel like they need to sit you down and lay out exactly what you are supposed to do, they expect you to adapt. I have seen people in every job I had, including myself at my second job, fail because they don’t pick up on what people are asking them.

You have to learn to become an active listener and act upon these subtle instructions!

Don’t Think A Resume Is Important?

If you are anything like I use to be you may think a resume is a formality. It is a history of what you have done you put together once to use to apply to jobs…ALL WRONG. A resume is something used to network and the way it is crafted on the paper will show a level of professionalism beyond your years. Don’t believe me? See an email I recently received below!

Hey Tommy,
I just wanted to let you know that I recently interviewed with the Office of Congressman XXXX for his/her summer internship in D.C. The staffer I interviewed with said I had the “best resume she had seen of all the people who had applied for the job”. It’s important to note that she did not say I had the most qualified or impressive resume, but rather the actual layout of it demonstrated a level of professionalism that merited an interview. I appreciate all the advice you have provided with the resumes through D.C. Hopefuls, it really pays off!

Thanks,
Chris Peterson
University of Arkansas Honors College
Alpha Phi Sigma President

Fake It Till You Make It

Throughout life we are encouraged to be ourselves and I teach that principal in several ways, notably when assessing a potential position. There are times though it makes sense to not be yourself.

I recently was working with a D.C. Hopefuls Fellowship member and she was struggling with confidence. She actually had a new contact comment on her lack of confidence when they met. So I told her to fake it until she makes it.

Back in the dark days before I had the steadfast spirit I was lost applying online and aimlessly wandering my way to nowhere fast. I began developing bad social anxiety. I was fearful people would sense my failure and that I somehow wouldn’t measure up. I vividly remember going to a Halloween party with my girlfriend (now wife) and getting physically ill at the idea of going to a social event where I wouldn’t know anyone. Luckily I have a great support system that had encouraged me to talk to a professional. He said right now you are anxious and your confidence is in the toilet so just fake it.

We all fake it everyday. We laugh at our bosses joke that isn’t funny or pretend to be interested in a relative’s boring story. So I went to that party and just faked it. I pretended I was happy and confident. When asked about what I did for a living I told them the best parts of my job (not the worst) and even let them know I was actively looking for a new opportunity. I said I was optimistic about my future and asked them several questions about themselves. It wasn’t how I felt on the inside and it actually felt like lying….but something amazing happened….my anxiety started to leave my body. I continued this practice at various times and eventually I started to believe my own acting.

I believe some people can tell a lie so many times they start to believe it and I was experiencing the same thing except I actually wasn’t lying! Everything I was saying was true it just didn’t match how I felt on the inside but by projecting that image enough I started to feel that way on the inside.

We all struggle with insecurities and a lack of self confidence the difference is some people let it sideline them while others just fake it till they make it!

Click Here to check out the video that changed my life and inspired this blog.

Stay Steadfast,

Tommy Pevehouse

Jumping Through Hoops to Build Career Investors

Sometimes in networking, it is not cut and dry. Once in a while, you land what on paper looks like a dream contact. You are introduced to someone in your field they sit down and start telling you all the things they will do to help you! You can’t believe it! Unfortunately, those are rare and oddly enough in my experience end up not being that helpful because no relationship is formed. Around a year ago I was really interested in a certain type of government work that was related to my experiences but much more focused. Naturally, this was going to be difficult since I was looking for a small pool of people in which to connect. Finally, after several months I was able to network my way into a coffee with Sally, a young woman in this field, who would have amazing insight. She offered some good advice and to introduce me to someone she knew. After the meeting I quickly sent a thank you email to her and followed up about the introduction. I was very confused when she connected me with an older gentleman who had worked on Capitol Hill over a decade ago and had been in scientific research ever since.

To this day I am not sure why on earth she thought I should meet with him since I have no interest in working on Capitol Hill and scientific research is nowhere close to my career field. The young me would have dismissed this entire introduction but practicing the steadfast spirit I knew better. I

spoke with him, asked questions, wrote a thank you note, and even followed up with him a few weeks later. I jumped through these hoops because I knew for some reason Sally thought I should meet him and the very least it created a common contact between her and I. Now Sally can feel more comfortable introducing me to other, hopefully, more relevant, people because she knows I will not make her look bad.

Eric, a student I’ve been working with, recently had a dilemma where he made a great contact but she would only make recommendations about job sites or companies. This was a nice gesture but also something he could do using google. I encouraged him to stay positive and persistent with her. The key would be to look up all the sites and companies she recommended and give her feedback.

“Thanks for recommending indeed.com I went on and created a profile like you recommended. I also checked out company XYZ they look great! Do you know anyone who works there? I’d love to connect with someone to learn more.” When you follow people’s guidance, it can make it easier to make ‘an ask’ down the road.

A lot of people will not just introduce someone they do not know to their contacts so your goal is to become someone they DO know. Always track the advice people give you and give them an update, it is a great way to stay in touch.

Let’s say this contact doesn’t know anyone at XYZ Eric can stay in touch anyways and in a couple weeks he can reach out and say “hey I have not had any luck on indeed.com do you have any advice for making my profile look better? What worked well for you?” People love to know that their advice sunk in with someone and it makes them feel valued. Also by always relating it back to them (“what worked well for you”) they get to talk about themselves and feel more connected to you. This is one way to build the all important career investor!

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Knowing the Difference Between Co-Worker and Friend

At my first job out of undergrad in D.C., I was incredibly blessed to work with Dave and Ben. These two guys who sat in the cubicles next to me have remained two of my closest friends for the last seven years. My work time with Ben was brief while Dave and I worked together for over a year.

When I went to my second job I quickly and totally bought into ‘their amazing culture’ where everyone went to work happy hours, shared pictures from their weekends, and joked around with one another. I would go grab a beer with the co-founder of the company and talk to him like a friend as I complained about my difficult client or my relationship. It would take me several months to realize these people were not my friends. They were simply trying to build an image to sell to clients. By portraying this hip, open, and fun culture they believed they could beat out the ‘top button’/’stiff’ competitors. They were creating an image. As my job started going south, I openly confided in several co-workers about my struggles and actually thought I could have an open and honest conversation with the co-owner as if we were friends. Quickly my openness about my struggles and weaknesses were used against me. I was called out for ‘talking negatively about my job’ when I thought I was seeking comfort from a friend. It actually took my therapist to point out to me “Tommy stop acting like these people are your friends, you give them your time and energy, they give you money, which is not friendship.”

Dave and Ben were different because I made friends with them outside of work. We did things together on the weekends and while we shared lunch and spoke at work we never really mixed the two. We quickly knew our friendships were much more than the fact we worked at the same place. In my second job, that wasn’t the case. I misunderstood a ‘work happy hour’ for hanging out with my new friends. These new co-workers were playing the game and I was being played. The majority of them were nice people, but they understood that you cannot suddenly make ten new friends every time you get a new job.

They understood it is important to bond with co-workers while maintaining certain professional boundaries. By all means, go to work happy hours! Become friendly with your co-workers and take an interest in their lives. I would even highly encourage you to attempt to make a close lifetime friend if possible but remember that is not the goal. You are at work to earn money, advance your career, and advance your organization. I believe all of those are done through building great, positive and meaningful work relationships but not necessarily friendships. So when you are getting lunch, going to the happy hour, or at a ‘mandatory fun’ event remember just because you are not in the office you are still at work. Do not complain about your job unless you know it will be received well, do not talk about how you are bored, or looking for other positions. Do not tell that story about the time in college you acted crazy or got in trouble.

In a job do not assume anyone is going to become a good friend. You can avoid a lot of confusion and hurt feelings this way. Behave in such a way from the beginning that you are respected and well liked in a way that also keeps a wall between your professional and personal life that few are allowed to break through. This will help you immensely during difficult days in the office and help you avoid major office drama. If you are truly compatible with someone a friendship can still eventually evolve, but that should be a great bonus not an expectation.

Workplaces with Participation Trophy Culture

I stunk at sports as a kid. I don’t think I ever got a hit in baseball and avoided contact like the plague in football. But basketball was different. In first grade I joined my school’s basketball team and did not score a single point the whole year. My dad then did something great; he put up a goal in our driveway. I spent all summer pretending I was Michael Jordan or Corliss Williamson out on that driveway. The first game in 2^nd grade I scored 10 points! Now I was not some basketball prodigy by any stretch of the imagination but my hard work really paid off! As I went into 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade I grew tired of the school league. We all got equal playing time and every team/player got a trophy at the end. I remember thinking this isn’t fair! I practiced all the time and was better than all but two players on my team, so why did the kid who skipped practice and not care get equal playing time and a trophy? My dad explained ‘son you are young and right now it’s about learning the game. Your coach has to look out for all the kids who signed up it is not about winning yet.” I eventually moved on to ‘competitive leagues’ for kids who did care. This really woke me up and I realized I wasn’t as good as I thought but at least I knew. Not playing as much wasn’t fun but I couldn’t argue they were players better than me. It motivated me for a few years to get better and eventually let me be at peace with giving up basketball.

Sadly ‘participation trophies’ don’t end in 3^rd grade. I have been in work environments where people receive physical awards/trophies for simply doing their job. It can be infuriating. At my last job as an analyst I was trapped in a participation trophy culture and you will likely find yourself in one at some point in your career. The key is GET WHAT YOU NEED AND GET OUT. As a kid I learned the game and then made the leap to the ‘competitive league.’ At my last job I got stuck for 8 months waiting for my clearances to come through and in that time the government (smartly) decided to cut 8 analysts down to 5. I was the obvious choice to be cut since I didn’t have my clearances and didn’t have ‘intel’ experience. As you recall I fought my way into an analyst job and excelled. I did 8 briefings in 8 months while others did 2 briefings in 18 months.

I was called on by our Director for my expertise and received real awards for going above and beyond what any had ever done. This didn’t seem to matter. Our manager did everything she could to make sure we were all equal.

When the opportunity would arise for travel she would insist on others going first since I “had already done a lot of things.” By things he meant go to trainings and classes that were offered to everyone and only I cared enough to attend. This job quickly became not to identify talent and grow our expertise to the government client it was make sure everyone was treated the same regardless of attitude, ability, or effort.

Be on the lookout for managers who want to spend their time protecting weak performers rather than help strong performers. Maybe they do this because there is no upward mobility for them so they are rattled by high performers below them. Usually I think it is the fact they don’t want to admit they made a mistake by hiring someone or they fear if they fire someone they won’t be able to replace them and suddenly they don’t manage as many people.

You don’t have to avoid these places just have a plan. For me I really wanted to get exposed to intelligence and finally begin applying my degrees. That job was perfect. The bar was so low that even my initial failures weren’t considered failures. I was allowed to work independently and learn what I wanted to learn. Within two weeks I was better than 3 of the 4 other analysts. It was quickly apparent that there was no upward mobility, in the 6 years of this contract no person in my position had ever moved up within the company or was hired directly by the client. So I got what I needed and got out. I left with great experience and amazing connections. This wasn’t a place to hunker down and build a career it was the school league to learn the game.

Ditch the Pitch and Tell Them ‘Our Story’

Success in D.C. is centered on meeting people and building connections. One of the most difficult parts of making it in D.C. is being able to quickly and clearly articulate what you want to do. I have met with dozens of people and asked the simple question “what do you want to do”only to have them nearly fall over trying to come up with something.

I too have struggled with this question because like many of you I have a wide array of interests. When I first moved to D.C. I never knew how to answer that question because so many things about government and politics interested me. In the beginning anything at the State Department seemed like my dream job but I was often embarrassed to say that. So naturally I did what several online career coaches/gurus teach and I developed elevator pitches, which inevitably lead to failure for several reasons.

Reason 1: When it comes to initial networking most people do not want to be pitched. An elevator pitch is you selling yourself to someone else trying to explain why they need you. This is a great skill when you have landed an interview but not when you are simply grabbing a coffee or being introduced over email. Nobody likes to be sold to anymore. We are the generation that mutes or fast forwards commercials and installs add blocks on our computers.

Reason 2: People prefer to hear stories! There is a reason that almost all major religions’ teachings are through stories. People want a narrative not facts or lists.

Reason 3: My elevator pitch never worked because it was all about me! Sure in interviews I would include information about how I can help the company, which is great, but in networking I was always focused on myself. I am not the only one who has made this mistake. I know this because of the 200 plus students/recent grads I’ve met with I think only one has ever asked more than one question about me.

When Career Investors got up to about 15 members I asked the attendees at a workshop to write a brief pitch/statement introducing themselves to the group and sharing their goals.

Some form of the word ‘I’(‘I’m or I’ll) was used 42 times. Some form of the word ‘me’ (myself, my, or mine) was used 25 times for a grand total of 67 times. The words ‘we’ or ‘us’ were never used and the words ‘you’ or ‘you all’ were used 3 times.

If you do not understand why this doesn’t work think of it this way.

My wife and I recently went to visit our newlywed friends. While sitting around my wife discovered a massive photo album. She sat for over an hour with our friend and looked at every picture. I couldn’t understand why she cared so much about their pictures. Then after nearly an hour she got really excited and said, “Look Tommy here is a picture of us!” Then a few minutes later, “look here we are again!” As we drove home she said “I loved that we were in four pictures considering we haven’t known them that long.”

We all do the same thing. We love to look at pictures when we think we might be in them. I have a friend who tells the same stories over and over even if everyone has heard them before. My wife pointed out to me recently “you know you always get annoyed when he tells a story except when he tells a story about you.”

So if we know people do not want pitches, they like stories (like the two I just told), and they want to hear about themselves, then tell them a story about themselves that lets them get to know you…make it ‘our story.’

Most of the pitches I received read exactly the same. “I am originally from X and I went to school at X. I majored in X and plan to move to D.C. upon graduation. I really want to do something different with my life and pursue my dreams in D.C. I hope through this group I can learn the right skills and make good connections to help launch my career.”

Instead, I coach Career Investors members to talk about themselves this way: “Hello, much like all of you I am still working on my undergraduate degree and like some of you I attend the University of X. Just like all of you I dream of building a career in D.C. after graduation but am not sure where to begin. I know we all share a similar wish to do something different with our lives and we share the common dream of making DC a reality. I look forward to learning from each of you and hope to make D.C. a reality for all of us.” See how the second one is ‘our story?’ The second example creates investment and personal commitment from the others who read it. This is an important skill to practice, as you will often be introduced via email to new people. Find any way you can to tell ‘our story.’

In person meetings can be more difficult. Recently I was connected to a woman who works in intelligence but also worked on campaigns. My first thought was to tell her how I had done similar work and tell her all about myself but instead I made ‘my story’ ‘our story.’ When I met her for coffee I said “I am really glad you agreed to meet with me. Sarah says you all met at the State Department. Did you both work in the same office?”

I let her tell the story of how she knew our common contact and did not interrupt to explain how I knew Sarah. Eventually she asked me and I told her. I then said “I see you went to Alabama. I went down to a game there once and I had a blast!” She told me a few stories then asked why I had been in Alabama. I explained that I went to Arkansas and was at Alabama to watch Arkansas play there. By the end she was more than eager to help me because she was able to talk about herself and tell me stories.

She probably did not learn as much about me as I would have hoped but everything she did learn also related back to her in some way. Most importantly she left the conversation happy and wanting to help me. I was not overly shocked when she introduced me to several other useful people, all of which said she had really great things to say about me!

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