Tag: Blog

Why I didn’t want to apply to my sister’s company

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Note: I wrote this blog post just after I sent in an application to my sister’s company. As it turns out they have rules against hiring siblings. While that sucks because they’re awesome, I learned so much about myself I’m glad I did it.
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I’m big on pushing myself. I never want to have regrets or be the person who settles.

Wouldn’t that be a horrible thing to have people stare at you with pity and say, “Awe she could’ve been so much more. Bless her heart!” (side note – “bless her heart” is a southern insult)

Because of this, I try to pursue every opportunity that comes my way.

When my sister awkwardly proposed the option of me applying to work at the same company as her, I immediately assumed there’s no way she’s serious. She must be joking. Every single thing about myself that eats me up on the inside immediately came to the forefront of my mind. You didn’t do well enough in college, you’re dyslexic, they’ll have such high expectations that you could never meet them, etc. Then the second wave ran through my head beginning with, you’re really going to follow her somewhere else and ending with, aren’t you ever going to be able to do something without her assistance, will you ever be more than just Rebekah’s sister?

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Rebekah and I on a trip to Hershey Park to see the Christmas lights.

Some of these thoughts are valid concerns, some are damaging thoughts that haunt me, and some are a bit more complex. I decided to dive into why I felt all of these things.

Here’s my analysis of my thoughts:

“You didn’t do well enough in college”

Ok, my grades weren’t fantastic but they weren’t horrid. I goofed off my freshman year, but once I buckled down, I flourished in college. I was involved in a lot, while I was in college, and I tried to be the best across the board. I think my grades, especially within my specializations, reflect a person who worked hard and did her best. I also learned so much about life and made my long lasting friendships because of my extracurricular activities.

“You’re dyslexic”

After being diagnosed with dyslexia for almost 20 years, I really need to get new material to beat myself up with. Sure, it’s an endless struggle but I’ve learned how to learn and how to deal with it. I have my battles and sometimes I fail, but most of the time no one ever knows! It’s nothing to be ashamed of and certainly something I don’t hide. I have a hurdle that follows me around like a tiger waiting to attack but everybody has something that plagues them. Right??

“They’ll have such high expectations and you could never meet them”

My sister is amazing. I don’t tell her that often because it would immediately go to her head, but she freaking is! She is a learning machine! She puts in the work and her work reflects excellence. It’s something to aspire to.

The discouraging thing is trying to live up to what she does. Comparing myself to her started as a child and is something that I still struggle with. Some of her greatest strengths are my greatest weaknesses and I use that against myself. What I often forget is that she believes in me. She has seen me reach my goals by doing it my way. She understands better than anyone that I have to take my own way to learn things. When I apply myself and use some creativity in order to figure things out, I can create something to be proud of. Who knew that I could be great too? She knew. She’s always known.*

“You’re really going to follow her somewhere else?”

This has a bit to do with the nature of being a younger sibling, but for us, it has been a common occurrence. There are countless examples from growing up and going to college.** Yet in my job history, there are not many positions that she hasn’t been involved in. All of these experiences have turned out wonderfully. So, for me to use it as an excuse not to apply for a job is ridiculous.

“Aren’t you ever going to be able to do something without her assistance”

I call Rebekah when I can’t find something in the supermarket. We usually talk to each other throughout the day. She’s the stability that my dreams need. Someone like me needs someone like her in their life. This is silly. I need her and that is not a bad thing.

“Will you ever be more than just Rebekah’s sister?”

I don’t know how she feels about being my sister, but I kind of feel like I hit the jackpot. She’s done a lot of cool things and I’ve gotten the chance to witness it.

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We were at an Old Dominion concert.

Until we are both dead, I am going to be introduced as, “Rebekah’s sister Liz”.  It will make my future me’s life a lot easier if I get over being “just Rebekah’s sister”. So, to future me, “You’re welcome. I’m giving this up today to make your life easier.” As Rebekah continues to accomplish great things, I’m going to be happy for her, encourage her as she needs it, and enjoy the ride.

*I did not consult her but this is what I think she thinks from what she has told me/encourage me with.
**Just for the record I chose Liberty as the place I would go to college before she did. She was a late decision and my plans were already in action.

What hockey taught me about endurance and persistence

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For those of you who don’t know me, I played hockey as a kid and all throughout college. Recently I was speaking with a friend about my experiences coaching kid’s hockey. I mentioned how it gives a kid some grit. There’s no other activity that I can think of where it knocks you on your butt time and time again.

When learning to skate, you can’t help but fall. Falling down while playing isn’t something that ends either. When you get more advanced in your playing, someone is going to check you. Eventually, you will end up in a fight. No matter how good you are, there will always be someone bigger and better than you waiting to send you flying into the boards. Let’s not ever forget the moments where you take a wrong step, find the chip in the ice, or are just standing there and you end up on your butt.

I am probably 5 years old in this photo.
This was my second hockey team. My dad is the coach who has taken a knee.

What does this have to do with job searching?

Everything!!

I’ve been searching for a job for the better part of the last year and a half. When I started I was just wanting to switch jobs, so I switched jobs. Then I quit that job and now, I have a job that will just help me pay my bills. Here we are a year and a half later and I’m unsatisfied with what I’m doing. Job searching has punched me in the stomach, pushed me down, and there have been instances where I would have preferred a physical altercation instead of what happened.

Job searching has punched me in the stomach, pushed me down, and there have been instances where I would have preferred a physical altercation instead of what happened.
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My last home game of my senior year.

Just like in hockey quitting isn’t an option.

I have no other option but to get up and go after what I want. I still have goals. I can see them in my dreams and I’m not giving up on them. Just like in hockey, I’m going to use the moments of defeat and turn them into lessons. I’m going to take the things I’m not good at and I’m going to practice them. Early mornings and late nights are going to be when I thrive. No excuses are going to be made about sore muscles or tired eyes because when it’s game time nobody cares!

My interviewers aren’t going to care what it took to get in front of them. They want to know that I am capable and that I have that I have the potential to improve. I’m going to show that to them.

Today, I don’t feel like working on my Google Analytics Certification and I’m tired of searching for new jobs, but I’m going to do it anyway. I’m going to accept encouragement from those close to me. I’m going to sit here and force myself to learn because I have to believe that if I put in the work it’s going to pay off. I’m going to believe in my future. I’m going to believe that I will get to spend more than nine months in any given city. One day, I will get to lay down roots because I’m going to have an incredible job that allows me to do so.

My sister took this. She loves it when I end up in the box.

Why your “helpful job hunt” article is BS and what I would rather be reading.

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Let me explain. I’ve been on the job hunt for a couple of months now. I’ve sent out plenty of resumes and I’m doing ok. I’m not finding the exact jobs that I want, but I’m finding jobs in the industry I want so I’m counting it as a win. Over the course of the past month, I’ve completely scrapped and redone my resume four times and I’ve written over 50 cover letters. I have had interviews with 8 companies, which accumulated to 14 individual interviews. I have consulted my network and built a completely new network in my new city of Nashville, TN.

Job searching is the worst. I was scouring the internet looking for a new position/company that I hadn’t yet applied, and I began to lose hope. Like any good millennial, I decided to take advantage of the internet and look to the people who are supposed to be leaders in their industry. So, I went searching on Google, Quora, LinkedIn, and Medium.

What did I find? A whole bunch of bull. Sure, every little individual snowflake had packaged their precious nuggets of wisdom in different gift boxes, but in the end, you open the box and it’s still a load of crap.

There is one of two types of crap in almost every article that I read.

The first is just pure laziness in writing.

An example would be someone who tells you to check LinkedIn for jobs or they say to consult a mentor.

If another article tells me to spellcheck my resume ONE MORE TIME I’m going to block the author on Twitter. Not because I followed them initially, but because I’m feeling petty and I really don’t want their thoughts to pop up on my feed.

The second is extreme examples that are grossly unhelpful.

When I read that an author applied to 900 jobs and only got 3 interviews, that shows me that you have no resume and cover letter writing skills. Why do I want your advice? Do you know what I think when an author says that they spent 3 years working for absolutely nothing in Silicon valley and living in their parent’s basement, but now they’ve finally worked their way to a dream job? That tells me that they live at a level of privilege that I will never understand or afford.
If as an author you want to suggest a new resume or cover letter making or formatting tool,  I’ll read it. Maybe you know something I don’t. Some of the best tools are from little companies not as well-known. (Side note: Have you heard of JobHero? It’s awesome) If you want to tell me about the hustle you put in and why you took that job as a barista, I’ll read it. If you tell me about how you created discipline in a time of jobless chaos, I’ll read it. Tell me about your networking strategy! If you don’t live in LA or New York I would love to read your story!! Tell me about how you went on a hike to find yourself just so you didn’t come off in interviews as desperate because I’ll read it.  We need more of these articles, not just the same rubbish I spent most of this article complaining about.
Once I figure out what works and have the feeling that I’ve made it in some way, my promise is to write an article about job searching that is worth reading.
 I’m still hoping to find a great job and that means digging through the muck every now and then. As I move forward I’m going to make it a point to try and be more helpful with my advice. When someone asks a question I hope to be able to give actionable advice in a non-stereotypical form.

Why I made LizLeach.com a reality

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I’m writing this article with the assumption that people are going to wonder why I created my own website with a blog. With that in mind here are my responses.

Random Responses:

  • Branding is all the rage.
  • Schmidt from New Girl has a brand so should I.
  • It was 2AM and seemed like a really great idea at the time.

Actual Responses:

Control of what people see when they search Liz Leach on the internet.
I’ve been applying for jobs for months and I’m not seeing the results that I want. Instead of just waiting around for someone to give me an opportunity, I have decided to create the opportunity for myself. I am not one to complain about something and not make a change so this is me making a change.
My goal is to break into the marketing industry. I would love to work for a company as a campaign analyst, SEO specialist, social media manager, or an account manager. That being the case I need to make sure my HTML, CSS, and content writing are all up to snuff. While my website/blog is not a place of complete perfection, it is an opportunity to exercise all of those skills.
When I get into the right job they are going to be blown away by my work ethic and passion for what I do. Until then I will work to perfect my skills so that I am prepared to seize the opportunity when it comes my way.

Finding My Voice

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A little while ago I discovered Buffer. It’s a social media management site and it opened a whole new world of social media before my eyes. I discovered a new corner of the internet, where I could speak with like-minded people, learn new things, and make connections. I began to sift through pages and pages of content sharing and tweeting all that I learned. I was talking with a couple of friends when they asked me about it. They said, “Are you starting a business because from your tweets it seems like you are? Also, why are you tweeting so much?” I had answers for them, “No, I’m not starting a business. I’m using Buffer let me tell you everything about it…” What I realized shortly after that conversation was my followers were following me not for my marketing information or my dreams of business success. They followed me because they cared about what I had to say. They liked and shared the tweets that had my personality and point of view; not the ones that were about a start-ups and content. So to reassess I asked myself these questions.

What am I sharing?

Why am I sharing?

What are my goals?

Why do I have these goals?

What unfulfilled desire do I have that is my driving force?

It was a process that took some depth for a simple problem, but it was important for me to know the whys of it all. I took all of this into account and looked at my social media sites, and only then did I make a choice. I decided that I would continue to share what I was learning, but I would place a higher concern on my personal tweets. If someone is going to hire me based on my twitter they should probably know that I have a quirky viewpoint on life, weird things are going to happen to me, I love to play hockey, and I cheer for my teams. GO CAPS!

I’m not the kind of person who will drown you with content. I am the type of person who will share content, but I will also encourage you and maybe even make you laugh.

A mentor of mine during this process said to me, “A company should see your quirkiness and silliness because that viewpoint is what makes you stand out.” Its a shame it took me this whole process to really value what she said.

It’s a shame it took me this whole process to really value what she said.