Herd or Heard

Gm Fam, Sulakshay this side.???

It's an absolute honor to welcome you for the first edition of 'Herd or Heard'.?

'Herd or Heard' is the front page of everything that helps us build a better working world :)

The plan is simple - empower to be a voice, not an echo.

Let’s tackle the herd mentality and break the bias. Why fit in when we can stand out, right?

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"Experiences outside a linear career path can make people better colleagues, thought partners, and leaders. Share these moments that make you unique."

LinkedIn recently introduced a new career break feature under the experiences section. Something, I've personally been waiting for long enough. Users get to choose from 13 options when describing a career break including bereavement, caregiving, travel, and more.?

This step marks a pivotal shift in breaking the bias! ??

Professionals who take a career break from the traditional workforce often report that they learn invaluable skills which can easily be translated back into a work setting.?

And yet, many of them struggle to communicate effectively about a break.?

This feature, in a best-case scenario, can help disrupt the cliché narrative around career breaks. This brings an inclusive environment that creates new doors at work and beyond, which helps others to speak up too.

I just love the way how LinkedIn brought this up to normalize career breaks and empower people to contextualize their choices.?

Now, instead of something to be ashamed of or to hide, professionals can change the game and talk about the skills and experiences they gained from their time off.

What works for one might not just work for others, so knocking off this stigma with steps like these makes diversity and inclusion mainstream.?

Doesn't this help us decide what kind of life we want and then say no to everything that isn't that? ??

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Yesterday, I learned about the Better layoffs. I’m gutted and my heart goes out to each one of you - “Better” folks. ??

Here are a few things that helped me navigate my career ????

?? Record your journey and track your progress. It’s important to identify what’s working and what’s not working for you.

?? Make choices, you can’t do everything at the same time. So, pick your battles carefully and take action.?

?? I come across a lot of folks not happy with the work they do and clueless about what they strive for apart from some % hike or monetary allowances. Ask yourself if it wasn’t for money, what is it that drives you??

?? Small choices create the big picture and slowly is the fastest way. So create a narration on what you want including what you like, don't like, and areas where you want to grow.?

?? Know your worth, the real worth - and trust me, it's much more than those numbers floating around. Always bring more value than just money to the table. Think of this as the value and impact you and your role are creating and what it can scale into.?

???? Networking and building organic relations - Most fail to understand this part and confuse it with building transactional relations. But. That. Is. Not. The. Right. Way.?

? Connecting with people, reaching out proactively, collaborating with them, making introductions to connect folks in your network, helping out in the areas you’re skilled in, active follow-ups, discussing ways to create value, and working towards adding value are a few ways to approach this.

?? You know what’s magical? Referrals and Reference Introductions?

?? Bring up your ‘A’ game: It’s always a good time to pick up new skills, learn new tools, and techniques and work to hone your soft skills. Be around, good people. Listen to podcasts - here’s one to start with. Read books, and watch videos. I mean whatever works for you, just get started. All this helps you leverage. Just get going and bring it into action. Planning is just a part but execution is the main play these days.?

My two pieces of advice:?

1. Gear up to take on new challenges - these uncharted territories are the gold mines.?
2. Hit the ground running, but not all the time. Take breaks to focus on your health and wellness too.

It’s normal to feel Imposter Syndrome sliding in, but don’t let it. I know it’s easier said than done. But take a day or two to pause, unwind and acclimatize. A lot is going around there. You can check this out. This works and you’ll feel better. Promise.

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Now again, as promised, here are the best resources at your disposal and of course, these are free!

Resume template here

Cover letter template here

Optimize your resume and LinkedIn profile here

Resume feedback here

Networking tracker here

Interview prep template here

Job search tools, video resources, and a lot more in here

That's all Folks ??

If you’ve made it this far - thank you so much!?

Your thoughts, feedback, and questions matter to me. Don't hold yourself up from sending them right away!

If you liked what you read, do consider sharing and subscribing.

See you around soon. Until our next edition…

Much love.

SD