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Acing the Interview: Pt 2 Time to Improvise

I have a weird confession: I get really excited when I have a job interview. But I know exactly why…because I love improvising. I always loved imaginative play with my friends, whether it was dolls, stuffed animals or pretending to be super heroes. My mom still has cassette tapes of 9-year-old Sara pretending to host

Acing the Job Interview, Pt. 1

In my last newsletter, I discussed how to prepare for a job interview by “unpacking your skillset suitcase” in the form of stories that show you have the skills needed for a position (show, don’t tell). I recommended you practice sharing those stories out loud with a trusted friend or family member to gain confidence.

Open blue rolling suitcase filled with neatly rolled clothing on one side and additional supplies including a passport, camera, glasses and lotion on the other side.

Packing your Skillset Suitcase

Last week we got back from our two-week family trip to Minnesota. I just finished unpacking, so luggage is on my mind. Your career is a journey and along the way you gather more and more valuable items you can bring with you to your next destination. Here’s some examples of skills I’ve picked up

Sara stands in front of her laptop which displays a Zoom meeting sign-in page. She's wearing a blue shirt with the chemical compound for serotonin on it that says, "be happy". She's giving a look to the camera that indicates "this is what you're getting, take it or leave it".

I Speak Up

Warning: I am a professional squeaky wheel and feather ruffler. As an extrovert, I’m willing to advocate for others when there is an issue. This is especially true when I’m involved in conversations around a topic I feel is important. I have been criticized for “talking out of turn” and “not respecting hierarchy” in the

Sunset picture in the mountains of southern Arizona. A sharp hillside on the right shows the outline of saguaro cactus and a pergola dominates the foreground. Mountains are seen in the distance dark purple against the surrounding shades of orange and yellow.

Who Gets to Fail?

I’m pondering the nuances of failure. Last week, I posted on LinkedIn about what I perceived to be a lapse of judgement in picking the subject line of my newsletter for job seeker trying to change industries, “Take it With You“. I chose “Failure to Translate”, but when I opened the email on my phone,

Lost in Translation

Getting lost in translation is a problem for travelers and job seekers. It almost ruined the last few days of my honeymoon in Italy. My husband and I were going to spend the night in Manarola (one of the picturesque towns along the Mediterranean Sea that makes up Cinque Terre). We received an email confirmation,

Sara smiles as she stands behind a facade of monarch butterfly wings. Her head is in the place we designed so that a human head fits proportionally.

I’m Anti-Niche

THERE, I’ve said it! It’s in my LinkedIn headline but I’ve never taken the time to explain what I mean in a post In part, that’s because I’ve been a little nervous about the push back. After all, if you listen to entrepreneurship/freelancing advice, you’re almost certain to hear the message “find your niche to

Sara and her daughter hold up mugs with hot drinks (cappuccino with latte art for Sara and a hot chocolate for her daughter whose face is partially obscured as she takes a drink with her pinky up).

Tell the Chef I Sent You

One of my favorite parts of traveling is checking out local restaurants. Specifically, I love locally-owned coffee shops and wine tasting establishments. I enjoy these culinary outings even more when the location has been recommended by a friend. And I KNOW I’m into something good when someone recommends a place AND tells me, “And let

Multicolored lines and dots connected in a network above abstract blobs of ink in the shapes of human figures.

Using Your Connections

When it comes to your job search, you might be surprised to find out who is most likely to help you find out about a new job you can apply for. It isn’t always your colleagues and close friends. It’s your second degree connections, the people you’d refer to as your acquaintances who are just

Life is a Highway

If my career is a journey, then I’ve filled my first passport with stamps and I’m working through book number two (or possibly three). I refer to myself as a Renaissance Woman because of my widely varied interests and the expertise I’ve gained from working in many industries and disciplines (not to mention all over