Her Next Chapters

40. Job Search Magic: Networking and Elevator Pitches for Stay-at-Home Moms

• Christina Kohl

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What if expanding your network could be as simple as chatting with your neighbor at a summer BBQ? Tune into this episode of Her Next Chapters where we unlock the secrets to preparing for a successful job search while juggling the demands of summertime. We’ll reveal how stay-at-home moms can turn everyday interactions into valuable networking opportunities. Discover how a well-crafted elevator pitch can be your secret weapon, allowing you to articulate your career goals with confidence and make a lasting impression.

I've created a 30-second elevator pitch Guide specifically for stay-at-home moms preparing to return to the paid workforce, and the information in the guide is useful for anyone wanting to grow their network. In today's episode I'll talk through some of the exercises and tips from the Guide.

Download your copy of the Guide HERE.

The Guide will walk you through the process of identifying your unique superpowers and using them to shine in your pitch. You'll get actionable tips on structuring your pitch to highlight your personal strengths and passions, ensuring it resonates with anyone who hears it. And a template to craft your own elevator pitch.

Listen in for practical advice that will have you ready to hit the job market this fall.


Interested in my 1:1 Career Comeback Coaching program? Apply HERE.
Send me an email ---> christina@hernextchapters.com
DM me on LinkedIn ---> www.linkedin.com/in/kohlchristina
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Christina Kohl:

Hi and welcome to Her Next Chapter's podcast. I'm your Christina Kohl, . I'm a mom of three and soon to be an empty nester. I'm also a certified HR pro who restarted my career after being a stay-at-home mom for over a decade. I created this podcast to connect with moms who have an empty nest on the horizon and are wanting to redefine their identity outside of motherhood, which might include a job search. On this show, we'll have raw conversations about our ever-changing roles as moms. We'll hear from women who restarted their careers and share tips for a job search after a career break. So if that's you, you're in the right place. Friend, let's get started.

Christina Kohl:

Hi, friends, and welcome to this week's episode of Her Next Chapters. As always, I'm so glad to have you here and that you're part of this community, and I am recording this in July and going to be published on July 17th. Wow, how is it already the middle of July? So if you are a stay-at-home mom and you've got kids at home and you're thinking, you know, when the kids go back to school, I'm ready to go back to work, there are things you can be doing now that will help you with your job search in the fall. And if you wait until the fall, you're going to be kind of behind and miss some windows of opportunity. One of the most important things you could be doing over the summer, while the kids are home, is expanding your network and letting people know of your intentions to return to work in the fall. Everyone that you know or that you come in contact with over the summer might be the one who introduces you to your dream job. You never know who is going to be the connection that changes the whole story. So you, at this point, it's a very simple thing just to start talking about your job search.

Christina Kohl:

I know, when I had been a stay-at-home mom for over a decade, I was a little uncomfortable to talk about my job search because I wasn't 100% in yet. And it's like, well, my kids are still young and I don't want to start working right now in the summer, because, oh my God, what will I do with childcare? And I wasn't as bold as I could have been in telling everybody about my intentions. And that was a mistake Because, again, you never know who is going to be the connection that introduces you to that dream job and it is not too early to start talking about it. Most likely okay, it's July 17th. Most likely you're not going to be getting a job before the kids go back to school. That's kind of the reality. It could happen, but most likely you'll be able to control the timing of things.

Christina Kohl:

But as you are talking to people and sharing your intentions, it might be two or three connections down the road from this one person that you tell, two or three connections down the road from this one person that you tell that helps you with that introduction. So it's a little awkward to be like hey, I'm looking for a job, right, we don't want to just come out and say that. So what I've done is I've created a guide, an elevator pitch guide, specifically for stay-at-home moms. And, of course, if this stuff works for stay-at-home moms, it works for everyone. So if you're not a stay-at-home mom and you are looking to make a change in your job, these same principles apply. So don't get hung up on that part of it. I will tell you anything that works for a stay-at-home mom who's been on a career break is going to work for anyone else as well.

Christina Kohl:

Okay, so networking is the best way for you to land a job that you love in any situation, but especially after a career break, and so many people, especially moms, feel like I don't have a network. I've been away from the workforce for 10 years, I haven't been in touch with everybody, I don't have a network anymore. But that's not true. You have friends, your neighbors, your cousins, fellow school parents, teachers. They are all part of your network. And now this summer, is the time to activate your network by sharing the news of your job search. And it's also a great time to expand your network by putting yourself in the position to meet new people, saying yes to an invitation to a social event even though you're an introvert who would prefer to stay at home, or introduce yourself to a parent on the sidelines of your kids' sporting events. Volunteer for a cause you care about, and then share your casual elevator pitch to everyone you meet to let them know you're in the job market. So this guide that I've created I'm going to kind of review it here on the podcast, if you are interested in getting your hands on it, and I'll put a link to it in the show notes. So this guide is filled with examples, thought-provoking questions and templates, and the guide will help you confidently talk about your career aspirations and if you're not sure what you want to do in your next career. Don't worry, I've got you covered there too.

Christina Kohl:

All right, let's dig in. First of all. What is an elevator pitch? Why is it called elevator pitch? I'm not in an elevator. I'm on the sidelines at my kid's sporting event, or I'm at the gym working out and run into someone that I know. Why are we calling this an elevator pitch? Well, it's because it's a quick summary of your background and experience. You should be able to present it during a brief elevator ride, so 30 seconds to a minute, and that's the way that this name has come about. In case you were curious, you don't actually have to be in an elevator, obviously, so the speech is just simply about you, who are you, what do you do and what do you want to do, and it's just a way to share your expertise, your background and your credentials quickly and effectively with people who don't already know those things.

Christina Kohl:

If you're job searching, honestly, you can use your elevator pitch everywhere you go. If you happen to run into someone that you haven't seen in a while, they're going to be asking hey, how are you, what are you up to? And you can just very simply give them the casual conversation of the elevator pitch. Well, now that the kids are heading back to school in the fall and they're getting older, I'm getting ready to head back to work. And then you kind of talk through like what it is you're interested in, or even to say I'm not quite sure what I want to do yet. I just know I'm ready to go back and then you can have a conversation. And then, of course, you can have a more formal elevator pitch for when you're attending a job fair or a professional association event or any other more formal networking event. And that's something where you're going to be more clear about what your background is and what your goals are and how the job that you're seeking fits into those goals.

Christina Kohl:

And a bonus is that that elevator pitch can also be used online in your LinkedIn about section. And, of course, it can also be used to answer that very, very common interview question that most interviews will ask tell me about yourself. So your elevator pitch is the perfect way to concisely answer that question. It's something you're going to have written down and you'll practice out loud, and the guide has templates to walk you through all of this. Now I do know I've talked about this before in episode six, which is crafting your elevator pitch, and episode 21 kind of talks about networking tips and examples. It's not so concretely about elevator pitches, it's more about the who. So I want to refer you to both of those episodes. But I'm just going to kind of review some of this stuff while we're talking about it now in the context of summertime, just to kind of refresh things if you haven't gone back and listened to those yet.

Christina Kohl:

One of the exercises I love to do with my clients is I ask the question how would you have introduced yourself before your career break? And it really helps put on that mindset of remembering yourself as a professional and an accomplished person in the workforce, and so it really kind of helps to reset your mindset around that. And then the next question is how would you like to be able to introduce yourself in the future? And that's not necessarily going to be the same way as you introduce yourself in the past. So because you've changed and whether you're working now or not you've changed over time your goals, your aspirations, your values have changed and so whether you're making a pivot or returning or just wanting to be in a different environment, your future answer of how you want to introduce yourself is going to be a little different.

Christina Kohl:

So I always like to ask those questions and then some other things as you're developing your elevator pitch, to think about what are some things you've done that you are really proud of and why are you proud of them? And then describe situations where you felt confident and fulfilled, and in this one I love describe your superpowers. I think you don't have them. Think again. I was talking to one of my clients and she's like well, I'm really good at organizing things, but that's kind of like just ordinary, like everybody does that, and I'm like nope, not everybody does that. You want to come see my basement? It is not organized. So things that come naturally for you that don't necessarily come naturally for others, those are your superpowers, especially if they're things that you have fun and enjoy doing.

Christina Kohl:

So think about those things, the things you're really proud of, situations where you're confident and felt fulfilled, and your superpowers and some of this is probably obvious is also getting to the clarity piece what is it that you're naturally gifted at and that you want to do more of? So that should all be kind of built into your elevator pitch If you're talking about something that you used to do. Maybe you used to work in accounting, but you have come to hate spreadsheets and you never want to see an Excel spreadsheet again. Well, those aren't your strengths and things that you're feeling confident and motivated by, so you don't need to be talking about that in your elevator pitch for the future, right? Just like your resume, your LinkedIn profile, anything that you're doing, you want to be future-based, so that you are aiming towards what you want rather than talking about where you're at today.

Christina Kohl:

And then some other questions to be thinking about is just your motivations. What would you do for free? Or maybe it's something you're already doing for free? What activities do you find particularly rewarding? Or when are you having the most fun? And again, these aren't all necessarily elevator pitch things. These are kind of around clarity, but helping you get to that clarity is going to help you create the elevator pitch that's appropriate for you. And then some other motivational questions is why do you want to do this type of work? Or what is it that you find interesting about it? Or why do you want to stay in, or maybe it's move to this field?

Christina Kohl:

If you want to move into healthcare, why? What's motivating you? Is it because you have someone that you love who's been getting treatment and you just really appreciate all of the caregivers and you want to give back in that way? Talk about what's meaningful for you. If you've been in the classroom and you've seen how a teacher can change someone's life and you want to do that, then talk about that. So when the more excited you get, the more excited your audience is going to be when they hear you talk about it. It's going to show through.

Christina Kohl:

And then in the guide. I'm not going to go through all of these, but there are a lot of examples specifically stay-at-home mom elevator pitches of kind of like the old pitch and kind of some analysis and a new, better pitch. So I'm going to leave those for you to check out in the guide. And then I also have some sample elevator pitches specifically for stay-at-home moms, but not even you know some of them could be applied to any. So I'm just going to leave that in the guide and not really go through those.

Christina Kohl:

And then there's also a template. I'm just going to briefly go over that because I think it's helpful. And if you are in a position where you can grab pen and pencil and you don't want to wait to download the guide, grab your pen and pencil now. Pen and pencil is your pen and paper. Now if you're driving, obviously you're going to have to come back to it or just download the guide and it'll all be there for you. If you're going for a walk, same thing. Maybe just kind of think about it or replay it when you have a chance to write it down.

Christina Kohl:

So the template this is good for a job interview introduction. Or if you're at a networking event that is designed to be professional networking. Maybe you're at an association event for your profession. So you would start out by saying I'm a blank, so I'm a project manager. And then, with the majority of my career involved in, and then name your industry. So, with the majority of my career involved in the financial tech industry while working at this company, you would name it I share a major accomplishment I saved one and a half million dollars on their health insurance fund within the first three months of the job. And then you would say I also have. And then you would fill in the blank what's something else that's relevant to the job? So if you're going for a sales job, I also have managed accounts in the $10 million range, whatever it is, so you would have something else that's relevant to the job. And then this one I don't think is in enough elevator pitch conversations.

Christina Kohl:

I love doing this work because so fill in the blank why do you find the work rewarding? And hopefully you're able to have an answer for that Because if you don't, then we need to back up my friend and get back to career clarity and skills assessment and everything else to make sure that you are going after work that you love. Because we spend so much of our time and lives working, you want to make sure that it's meaningful work for you. So I love doing this work because I make a difference in people's lives, because I'm saving the company money and providing a value for the employees. I love putting those two things together. Whatever it is for you, I love doing this work because that's going to be really memorable and others are going to catch on to your passion and want to be able to help you do this work again. And then we've got a couple other things you can add.

Christina Kohl:

Wherever I've worked, I bring three key strengths to the table and then name those, whether it's being strategic, decisive, collaborative, whatever it is. And then the other thing that I like to finish up with is my future plans are in the blank. Fill in the blank or to reward that, maybe the way that this job that we're interviewing for, the way that this job fits into my goals, is X and explain how the job is the next best step for you and your career and your goals and what you want to do. So to quickly summarize it all because I know I kind of talked through that quickly and I'm just going to summarize it real quick I'm a blank, with the majority of my career involved in blank. So that's what industry, blank company I did a major thing, major accomplishment. I have also describe another accomplishment or experience. I love doing this work because, and wherever I worked, I bring three key strengths to the table my future plans and how it relates to this job. So that's kind of the template.

Christina Kohl:

Now are you going to read through all of this or have it memorized? Precisely? No, but you do want to practice it out loud, over and over, and out loud is important, preferably with an audience, even if it's your dog or your kids, but practice it out loud so that it becomes natural for you to talk about it Now. When you bump into someone that you see at the grocery store maybe a neighbor you haven't seen in a while, or one of the parents from your kid's classroom, or something they haven't seen for a few years you bump into them at the grocery store and they say, hey, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. You're not just going to start with well, I'm a human resources manager with the majority of my career involved in. You're not going to do that, right. So the last part of the guide is more just about conversational elevator pitches. So to be thinking about it and how to talk about it in just a natural way. So somebody you bump into at the grocery store and they're like hey, it's great to see you.

Christina Kohl:

What are you up to these days? And again, this guide is written for stay-at-home moms, so the reply of what are you up to these days would be well, now that the kids are getting older, I'm thinking about going back to work. I love my career in human resources and I really look forward to using those skills in a nonprofit role again. Or you can talk about different things, whatever it is for you. That's just an example. If you're not, you know, thinking about going back to work because you're currently working, just you know.

Christina Kohl:

So what are you up to these days? You can say, oh my gosh, you know, my career has been going so well and I'm ready to make a change, like I really want to get into this industry, or I'm ready to shift from accounting to customer service, whatever it is. But that's just kind of a quick response to that type of question, because I know so many times when I'm in that situation you know hey, what have you been up to? Oh, I've been busy, right. We don't really have a prepared answer, but if you are thinking about changing jobs or getting a job, this is a golden opportunity to let that person know. And that person who's asking you what you're up to or how are you, how have you been? They're part of your network, right? Even if you haven't talked to them or seen them for years, they know you, you know them, they're part of your network and it might be their brother or their neighbor or their college roommate that needs someone with the exact skills that you have to offer. You just never know.

Christina Kohl:

So don't write anyone off when you are in a job search or even thinking about one. It is time to be broadcasting the fact that you are on the market, right? So these elevator pitches are really, really key and it might feel uncomfortable and awkward, especially if you're an introvert. You don't like talking about yourself, you don't feel like bragging. It's just so uncomfortable, but it is also so necessary.

Christina Kohl:

A career gap, job search and any other job search is really dependent upon your network who you know to get those introductions, obviously, who you know. If you're not qualified, that might get you an introduction, but not the job. So you have to have both together. But hopefully, if you've done your work and you're talking about the right things, the introductions are going to be to the people that you need to meet to help you get the job that you are qualified for. So those are really important and I get it.

Christina Kohl:

It takes courage to do this. You're going to have to put yourself out there a little bit and even be a little vulnerable. So make sure you've written it down, practice it out loud. You don't have to have the script memorized, but you do need to have the basics in mind so you can confidently answer the questions in conversations like these. What have you been up to Any plans for the summer, or tell me about yourself. If you get a job interview, my money's on that question being asked. Tell me about yourself. You don't want to freeze, you want to be ready and you don't want to tell your whole life story, right, you want to do a concise summary that is purposeful and pointing to the job. The bonus here into the job, the bonus here.

Christina Kohl:

This 30 second elevator pitch makes a great about section on LinkedIn. I will put a link to download the guide in the show notes, so check it out there. I would love to get it in your hands. If you have questions, send me an email to Christina at hernextchapterscom. And yeah, I hope that this is helpful. And, like I said, just because it's summertime and the kids are home and you feel like things are slow and relaxed, this is a way to still be moving forward.

Christina Kohl:

Okay, hopefully a nice easy way, but to feel like you're still making progress and laying the groundwork for your job search to be at full speed, you really need to start with your network Clarity and your network two biggest things to start with.

Christina Kohl:

All right, well, again, I hope this is helpful. If it is, please do me a favor and rate and review the show. It's the best way to get the word out, to draw others to the community, and if there's someone in your life who you know could use this content, send this to them right now. Just send this and let them know you were thinking of them and that you thought this content might be helpful for them. That would mean the world to me and hopefully it'll help your friend as well. All right, well, my friends, thank you so much for listening and I'll talk to you next week. Thank you so much for listening today. I hope this episode hit home for you and, if you haven't already, be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn and say hello so I can personally thank you for listening. Until next time. Remember, your story is uniquely your own and your next chapters are ready to begin.