HOW I GOT a corporate job WITH A TEACHING DEGREE
If you don’t have the ‘right credentials’ it’ll feel like a fight to be taken seriously, but below are some tips to help (and I should know, I was never “qualified” lol).
For context, my career track was housekeeper > teacher > nanny > real estate agent > small office admin > tech > finance > creator (currently)
PUT YOUR PRIDE ASIDE
After a year out of college still searching for a teaching job (and a shitty paying one too), I decided to shift gears.
Thankfully, I was still planting seeds and doing other things on the side to keep my experience relevant and my pockets full (more on this in another blog post), but breaking the news to my family was hard.
My entire family was disappointed. They were also concerned that I was throwing away my future and pricey education (to be honest, I was too).
But I know that when doors keep closing and nothing is budging, you need to pivot and be innovative - so I abandoned teaching and sought out Corporate.
POSITION YOURSELF WELL
In the beginning, I was NOT positioned well and was told often “You’re not qualified.”
So I MADE myself qualified.
In my eyes (and in the changing landscape of the work world), being qualified doesn’t mean you have to have the formal education to back it up - it just means you have the experience, knowledge, or work ethic to get the job done and solve problems within it.
Once I stopped looking for someone to give me a chance and started looking at how I could solve their problem, the better positioned I was.
Here’s how I positioned myself better:
POSITION YOUR SKILLS
Often, it’s not about having the skills as it is about showing them off correctly.
Have you heard of the phrase transferable skills? It basically means using skills from one job or experience to benefit another.
As a teacher, I knew I had valuable skills because of my experience with crazy classrooms, planning schedules, and managing parents - I just needed to showcase those skills in the context of the job I wanted.
Transferrable skills I had:
Works well under pressure (students, faculty & parents)
Time management skills (tight schedules)
Empathy
Organization
Managing a lot of different personalities
Problem-solver & master de-escalator
Anticipating the needs of others
POSITION YOUR NETWORK
While I was waiting for the next door to open for me, I decided to be a nanny.
Why? Because it not only paid the bills (I was making $1,100/week cash) but I now had some incredible connections at my fingertips.
Being the right-hand at home for a working couple showed me behind the scenes what home stressors corporate execs could experience so I would be better suited to anticipate their needs in the office.
They also served as great references when potential employers were vetting me (it’s not every day an SVP of a bank or the Head of Security at a tech company will recommend you without formal experience).
I also created a LinkedIn profile and started to surround myself with people who had networks that I could tap into. I would go to meetups, and attend webinars and conferences - you never know who knows who!
POSITION YOUR POSITIVES
We all have positive and negative traits, so the trick here is to better position your positives while downplaying your negatives.
My negatives? I didn’t have a formal education or specific skills yet.
My positives? I would do anything and everything to get a job done, I’m willing to learn extra skills and raise my hand to help someone else, and, to wrap it up in a nice bow, I have a great personality to make the entire work experience pleasant.
Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.
GAIN RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
No, you don’t have to go back to school to get experience for a new job (I actually wouldn’t recommend it, unless you’re trying to be a doctor or something that requires specific training).
I DID invest a little bit of money in books, reading materials, courses, and things like that, but the most beneficial way to learn was to get hands-on experience from gig work or preliminary jobs.
Experience without going back to college:
Got my real estate license ($150 investment) and worked for a small team in NYC
Worked as a receptionist at a small family office (Craigslist is a great resource)
Used websites like Craigslist, Care.com, GigSmart, etc. to test out new career paths, gain new insight into different industries, and expand my network/references
Learned professional skills online (Google Certification Program, YouTube, etc)
I’d also recommend start poking at recruiters because they’re your best bet to get in the door, especially if you don’t have relevant experience or a rocky job history.
As you’re gaining experience, they can tell you from the outside looking in what looks good and what needs some work.
If you Google search ‘Recruiter’ you should be able to find agencies that work in your geographic location.
Some example agencies are Atrium Staffing, Michael Page, Green Key Resources, and Robert Half.
GETTING THE JOB
There are plenty of people who’ll suggest applying through regular job boards, but I believe ‘backdoor' options work way better… plus, I was never ‘sexy on paper’ so I needed someone to go to bat for me.
Plus, we’ve all heard the phrase “it’s who you know” (and it’s true)
The benefit of using recruiters is there's no charge to you (the company who hires you pays the agency) and you get to take advantage of all the things that they can help you with, like tweaking your resume, interview prep, and suggestions on your wardrobe and what to do for your interview.
I’ve used recruiters to help for almost my entire career - shoutout to Danielle Scarrone and Eric Nilsson for helping me land jobs (and to my friend Destiny LaLane who’s taught me a lot about navigating the work world today).
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE abandon a recruiter who doesn’t believe in you. Everyone has a different viewpoint on experience, value, and life, so don’t let the opinions of those who aren’t aligned dissuade you from pursuing what you want.
KEEPING THE JOB
Yay! You finally got the job! Now, you need to keep it, do good work, and rise up the ranks.
Here’s how I kept my jobs & created respect:
Always learning & making myself more valuable (eg. getting my notary license)
Raised my hand to help with projects in departments I was curious about working in (this turned into many internal job offers)
Look the part (examples: learned to blow out my hair, wore inexpensive but classy work wear, invested in a quality work bag, etc)
Good Luck!
If you’re looking for personalized help or support, consider booking a 1:1 call with me.